Exhaust filter-muffler



y 16, 1961 A. KLEINECKE 2,984,315

EXHAUST FILTER-MUFFLER Filed July 2, 1959 INVENTOR 3.1. A/LE/NECKE therefrom.

United States Patent 2,984,315 EXHAUST FILTER-MUFFLER Albert L. Kleinecke, 1787 S. Vasco Road, Livermore, Calif.

Filed July 2, 1959, Ser. No. 824,637 3 Claims. (Cl.183-4.5)

This invention relates to an improved muflier for internal-combustion engines, primarily for motor vehicle engines, and has for a primary object to provide a muffler which will effectively function to absorb undesirable comrenewed without removal of the mufiler from its mounting between the exhaust manifold outletand the tail pipe.

Various other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter become more fully apparent from the following description of the drawing, illustrating a presently preferred embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Figure l is a plan view, partly broken away and partly in horizontal section of the muifler;

Figure 2 is an end elevational view looking toward the outlet end of the muffler, or toward the lower end of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the mufiier, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 33 of Figure l; v

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 but looking toward the forward or inlet end of the muffler;

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view in cross section, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 5-5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a cross sectional view through the muflier, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 6-6 of Figure 1, and

Figure 7 is an enlarged cross sectional view in detail, taken substantially along a plane as indicated by the line 7--7 of Figure 1.

Referring more specifically to the drawing, the filtermuflier in its entirety is designated generally 10 and includes an elongated muffler casing 11 having a tubular wall 12 and end walls 13 and 14. The muflier casing 11 is preferably cylindroidal in cross section, as seen in Figures 2, 3, 4 and 6, and with the horizontal width thereof being preferably about twice the vertical depth or thickness of the muffler, so that the muffler can be readily utilized with modern motor vehicles having small diameter wheels and a restricted road clearance.

The mufiler casing 11 is provided with a transverse perforated partition wall which is located substantially nearer the forward end wall 13 than the rear end wall 14 and which divides the muflier easing into a restricted forward chamber 16, disposed between the walls 13 and 15, and a substantially longer rear chamber 17, disposed be tween the walls 15 and 14. An inlet nipple or pipe 18 is mounted in the front wall 13 and extends forwardly threaded cap 25.

The nipple or pipe 18 may be secured as by welding, as seen at 19, to the wall 13 and extends through said wall so as to open into the forward chamber 16. A pipe or tube, designated generally 20, extends from endto-end through the chamber 11 and has a forward end 5 extending through the partition wall 15 and secured therein and opening into the chamber 16. The opposite end of the tube 20 extends through the rear end wall 14 and a short distance therebeyond, and the portion thereof disposed externally of the end wall 14 constitutes the outlet nipple 21 of the muffler 10. The pipe or tube 20 may be secured to the walls 14 and 15 by additional welds 19. The portion of the pipe or tube 20, extending between the walls 14 and 15 and disposed within the chamber 17, is perforated, as seen at 22. The tube 20 is preferably disposed in alignment with the inlet nipple 18 and laterally offset from the longitudinal center of the casing 11, as seen in Figures 2, 3 and 6.

' A perforated pipe or tube 23 has one end disposed against the inner side of the rear end wall 14 and closed 20 thereby, and extends therefrom through the chambers 17 and 16 and through the partition wall 15 and front wall 13. The pipe 23 is likewise secured to the walls 13, 14 and 15 by additional welds 19. An externally threaded nipple 24 is suitably secured in and projects from the open forward end of the pipe 23 and from the front wall 13 and is normally closed and sealed by an internally tube 20; said tubes being disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal center of the casing 11 and spaced from the casing wall 12, as best seen in Figure 3.

The rear end wall 14, preferably between the tubes 20 and 23, is provided with two threaded access openings 26 which are normally closed and sealed by threaded plugs 27. The access openings 26 are provided for filling the chamber 17 with a filter packing 28 formed of small particles or nodules of activated wood charcoal which are somewhat larger than the. perforations of the wall 15, tube portion 22 and tube 23 and which completely fill the chamber 17 around the tube portion 22 and the part of the tube 23, which extends through said chamber.

The wood charcoal nodules forming the packing 28 are activated by reheating of the wood charcoal at a very high temperature for a period of approximately eight hours, as a result of which the absorptive capacity of the charcoalis materially increased, and the absorptive capacity is even further enhanced by subjecting the charcoal to carbon dioxide or superheated steam, while impregnated with certain chemicals, such as zinc chloride, sulfuric acid or phosphoric acid, followed by exposure of the charcoal for a period of time to a high temperature. This activation of the wood charcoal augments the available surface of the charcoal nodules and produces a decrease in the bulk density and, consequently, a greatly increased 55 porosity, enabling the packing 28 to readily absorb smoke and the harmful gases and fumes of an engine exhaust. In addition, the filter packing effectively functions to mufiie the sounds and noises created by the exhaust stream. The packing 28 also absorbs any moisture carried by the exhaust to prevent rust or corrosion of the other muffier parts and to thereby materially increase the usable life of the muffler.

The tube portion 22 is provided with one or more diffusers 29, one of which is shown in detail in Figure 7. The diffuser 29 comprises two heavy steel wires 30 each of which extends diametrically across the tube portion 22 through the wall thereof. The ends of the wires 30 may be welded or riveted to the exterior of the tube portion 22, as seen at 31.

The intake nipple 18 is connected, in a conventional manner, to the exhaust outlet, not shown, of the exhaust manifold of an internal-combustion engine, and the exhaust nipple 21 is likewise connected in a conventional The tube 23 is laterally spaced from the sesame manner to the tail pipe, not shown. The engine exhaust, consisting of gases and vapor under pressure, discharges into the forward muflier chamber from the intake nipple l8. A part of the exhaust will be forced through the perforated partition 15 into the packing 28, while another part thereof will enter the tube 23, through the perforated part thereof extending through the chamber 16, and will escape from the part of the tube 23, extend ing through the chamber 17, into the packing 28. The remainder and major part of the exhaust will enter the tube portion 22 directly from the chamber 16 and in passing longitudinally therethrough will be deflected into the charcoal packing 28, through the perforations of the tube portion 22, by the action of the dillusion unit or units 29 which agitate and create a turbulence in the gases flowing through the tube portion 22, without producing an undesirable restriction or back pressure, so that sulficient velocity of the How stream in the tube portion 22 is maintained for carrying away the filtered exhaust which re-enters the tube portion 22 from the chamber 17, after passing through the packing 28, and which includes the portions of the emaust which initially passes through the partition 15 and tube 23. Thus, substantially all of the exhaust will be filtered by the packing 28 before escaping through the outlet nipple 21.

The activated wood charcoal packing 28 can be regenerated or reactivated by removing the cap 25 and attaching the nozzle of a superheated steam line, not shown, to the nipple 24. The superheated steam thus supplied to the perforated tube 23 will escape therefrom into the chambers 16 and 17. A part of the steam entering the chamber 16 will pass through the perforated partition 15 into the packing 28 and the remainder will pass from the chamber l6 directly into the tube portion 22. The balance of the steam will escape irom the tube 23 directly into the packing 28. All or" the steam passing through the chamber 17 will enter the tube portion 22 and escape through the outlet nipple 21. The charcoal packing may also be chemically treated by applying chemicals thereto in the same manner that the packing is treated with the superheated steam. This regeneration of the packing 28 can be accomplished without removal of the mufi'ler from an applied position and with the engine idling to maintain a pressure in the intake nipple 18 to prevent the steam or chemical from flowing therethrough to the engine.

The casing chamber 17 may be refilled with the charcoal nodules by removal of the plugs 27.

Substantially all parts of the mufiler 10, with the exception of the packing 28 and closures 25 and 27, are formed of steel plate and tubing to provide a mufiier construction of maximum durability.

Various modifications and changes are contemplated and may be resorted to, without departing from the function or scope of the invention as hereinafter defined by the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1'. An exhaust filter-mufiler comprising an elongated mufiler casing including a tubular wall, a front wall and a rear wall, a perforated partition wall disposed adjacent said front wall and dividing the mufiler easing into a front chamber and a substantially larger rear chamber, an intake nipple supported by and extending forwardly from the front wall and opening into the front chamber, a tube extending through said rear chamber and through the rear wall and partition wall and having a forward end opening into the forward chamber and a rear end extending outwardly from the rear wall and constituting the exhaust nipple of the mufiler, the portion of said tube extending through the rear chamber being perforated, a second tube extending longitudinally of the casing through said chambers and through said front wall and partition wall and having a closed forward end and a rear end closed by said rear wall, said second tube being perforated from the rear wall to the front wall, and said rear chamber containing a filtering and noise absorbing packing surrounding the portions of the tubes extending through the rear chamber for filtering out exhaust gases passing through the mufiier casing between the inlet nipple and outlet nipple.

2. An exhaust filter-muffler as in claim 1, said packing comprising a mass of activated charcoal nodules, said second tube having a nipple extending from its forward end, a removable closure detachably engaging the nipple and combining therewith to form said closed forward end, said nipple aifording access for superheated steam or a chemical under pressure adapted to be supplied to said second tube, when the closure is removed, for regenerating and reactivating the activated charcoal packing.

3, An exhaust filter-muffler as in claim 1, said casing being of cylindrical shape in cross section and having a horizontal width substantially greater than the vertical width or depth thereof, said tubes being disposed in transversely spaced relation to one another within the casing, and said first mentioned tube being disposed in alignment with the inlet nipple.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 37,500 Fontain Ian. 27, 1863 758,402 Yackel Apr. 26, 1904 1,811,762 Schnell June 23, 1931 1,844,034 Duber Feb. 9, 1932 2,041,767 lack May 26, 1936 2,059,487 Peik Nov. 3, 1936 2,077,563 Henry Apr. 20, 1937 2,420,789 Mobley May 20, 1947 2,560,152 Berl July 10, 1951 2,789,032 Bagley et al Apr. 16, 1957 2,824,619 Bremer et al Feb. 25, 1958 2,924,293 Sprague Feb. 9, 1960 

